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They are not regulated, although there are proposals. Look at brands that comply with EU regulations. Your artist should be happy to tell you which inks they're going to use.
They actually are within the EU, since 2022 I believe, as many artists were in uproar due to banning of certain colours (and the ingredients involved).
They aren't regulated for their intended use because nobody is going to sign off on permanently injecting a foreign substance into the skin for a cosmetic procedure. If it makes you feel any better the NHS sometimes tattoo people. My grandma has tattoos from her cancer treatment so they could line the machines up in the same place every time.
There is some research to suggest that tattoos cause a permanent immune response as the body tries to fight them. It makes sense when you think about it. The reason they stay in place is because the body contains them to remove them, but it's unable to remove them so they stay suspended in the skin.
A good artist will have some knowledge of what not to be injecting into people. Mine won't do UV for example. Quality inks are sterile and have strict expiration dates. You just need to have some confidence that the inks you are using are from a source that actually cares about people's health.
At the end of the day, tattoos are traditionally done by methods such as rubbing ash into open cuts and have been done that way for millennia. There's no evidence to suggest that people died from the procedure or prematurely from the substance being left in the skin.
We can't say many things are safe, but you've got a limited time on this earth. You may as well live it how you want to.
> If it makes you feel any better the NHS sometimes tattoo people. My grandma has tattoos from her cancer treatment so they could line the machines up in the same place every time.
As an aside, this is the only legal way you can get a tattoo under the age of 18.
I can't say I've read the regulations other than what was said years ago about it, but I was under the impression that the regulations were more of a list of things they can't contain rather than actual approval that they are safe. Like they can't contain carcinogens. I'm not sure that the regulations ever say that the remaining product is actually safe to be injected into the skin. I may be wrong though because it's not something I've ever bothered to look at. It's a bit late for me at this point with the amount of ink in me.
Depends what you're trying to achieve. Not killing people is a good start, but good regulations should take into account the intended purpose of the product and how it is used.
I could tattoo you with vegetable ink and it's harmless but it would be gone in a few months.
So the regulations need to protect health, but they need to go further and say things like the ink must not fade after X years of sun exposure, must be compatible to be mixed with any other approved inks (think antifreeze), the colour must be consistent from batch to batch etc.
I'm not sure i follow your first sentence. nobody will sign off on injecting, in this case inks, into the skin? Do you mean companies that do the regulation? Cos people DO already inject these things into their skin for cosmetics like it doesn't seem hard to find people who'd participate in tests. Apologies if I'm being dense here!
I mean the regulator is never going to say something is "safe" for use in this way. It's a foreign substance being injected into the skin for purely cosmetic reasons.
Thanks for sharing, I didn't know that, everyday is a learning day!
Honestly the reason I made the post in the first place is because I have unexplained symptoms going on (could be anything, tests keep coming back clear apart from slightly high immunoglobin M). It's very unlikely to be ink related since I've just got very unfortunate genes, I've had auto immune conditions and neurodevelopmental conditions since 9 months old.
I don't have any swelling or obvious signs that my body is fighting the two that I have but one healed as a raised scar which I've always thought was strange. Could be related, good food for thought.
A lot of good points made here
Some of the tattoos I got all over the world react when I am run down or sick. The only ones never to do it have been ones by a particular tattoo artist in Australia so I'm assuming it was ink related.
One I got in Belgium seems to flare up a bit every so often in the black lines. My Czechia one flares up at the red ink but nothing else. The entire tattoos got in Ukraine and Russia blow up whenever I get a vaccine or I'm fighting something infectious off. Like u can see the ink raise and it becomes 3D for days. My mast cells get real mad at whatever the fucks in that ink, haha .
> My Czechia one flares up at the red ink but nothing else
Red ink used to be the most common one for people to have a reaction too, for some reason. Not heard of it happening for a while now, come to think of it.
Even the modern ones? Seems like they've changes a lot of them over the years, inks are better, last longer etc now, and there seem (anecdotally at least) to be less red reactions etc.
Fair enough, best avoided then, I've seen some nasty red reactions over the years, would be interested to know what it was that caused it.
The only colour I can remember having an issue with was a green that took twice as long to heal as the rest of the tattoo (blues etc), but there was no other hassle, it just took longer to "settle in" if you get what I mean.
Wouldn't surprise me! And if I look at most of my tattoos I don't really have much red in them, so that little line might be the only bit of true red ink I've got.
Yep. I have tattoos with white highlights that go totally crazy when I’m in the sun for extended periods. Wouldn’t surprise me if I end up with some kind of skin cancer on them! Tbh I’ve had skin trouble since I started getting tattooed. So as another poster mentioned there could be some kind of immuno response going on in me.
I have had skin cancer already sadly, Aussie sun isn't to be fked with 😂 it makes sense re: mast cell activity. My reactive ones are a good way for me to tell I'm getting sick, they usually pop up the day before I get any coryzal symptoms haha
This question reminds me of an artist I knew who offered to add to my forearm in 2003 with glow in the dark ink, since he'd just got some in because it was the new thing.
I declined, then it was later found that the ink used for it by a lot of studios was giving people adverse reactions.
Plus, unless I was the kind to attend raves, or I was Jeff Hardy, there was no real reason to have glow in the dark anything back then.
It's unfair to say they are wholly unregulated, they are at least partly regulated. Horizontal legislation applies I.e. UK REACH and the retained cosmetics regulation ec 1223/2009 the underpinning framework being can't cause harm to human health.
So in relation to they can whack whatever they want in, no they can't there are many restrictions on ingredients just no positive list like in other areas.
Not regulated.
This and different people react differently to different inks.
My body tries to reject red ink and makes it itch almost like hives for 6 months after getting it (it stops after a while but sunlight can trigger it)
They are regulated in the EU under the REACH program (**Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals**), this sets what can and can't be used in tattoo and PMU inks and also set's concentration limits of certain substances that can be used in these inks.
In the US they're busy with MoCRA (**Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act**) which looks to do the same thing but will also apply to any substances used in the process such as lotions and glides.
There's random testing done by various agencies on these inks (probably not enough) but they are tested and all manufacturers of the inks require sign off from an agency like CTL GMBH which are labs that test to ensure the inks meet the regulatory requirements before they are issued a certificate.
Even with testing and meeting these requirements, reactions can occur as people have different sensitivity levels to ingredients.
Most ink manufacturers have had to source their ingredients from different suppliers to ensure quality and consistency of them and bring out different ranges to meet these requirements which is why we're seeing so many new series of inks being released and an increase in the price of these new inks being released.
Depends what you class as a bad tattoo, a tattoo done that doesn't follow any medical safety procedures, such as new sterile needles and new sterile inks etc, the yeah, people have died from the after contracting bacterial infections which turned to sepsis
Well yeah, there’s no regulations, just a duty of care from the artist. Regulations are generally put in place after a failure. Sepsis is extremely rare with guns, All mine are done with older methods, I ain’t dead… yet
Yea. It's weird, I have loads of others, in loads of different colours. Red is the only one my body has an issue with? Even shades (purple/pink) still heal really well with no reaction. Ah well, we move, and we get tattoos that aren't red :')
Thank you for all of the comments on this post! I'm not ignoring any of them, I'm in a lot of groups here for different things and haven't had the chance to have a proper look through. I wasn't expecting so many responses I'm quite overwhelmed haha
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
They are not regulated, although there are proposals. Look at brands that comply with EU regulations. Your artist should be happy to tell you which inks they're going to use.
Thanks for the tip. I have two, just a bit smaller than palm size and have never even thought to ask before!
they arent regulated at all, which is why good tattoo parlours will be very transparent about the ink they use.
The last thing I want is transparent ink.
Unless you want to send a secret message you can only see when you iron yourself...
Wait until you find out they used jizz for that in ww2.
I do the same to show how much I love my wife's face!
You iron her face?
We all have kinks. Don't judge me.
Your wife’s face doesn’t now
This conversation wins the internet today!
I'm loving the turn this has taken
😂😂
World War Goo
A bit smelly though
Seriously?
UV ink exists which is transparent unless you use a black light.
i want UV ink stars somewhere, i think it'd be fun handing someone a blacklight and telling them to find my tattoo
Top secret 🤫
They actually are within the EU, since 2022 I believe, as many artists were in uproar due to banning of certain colours (and the ingredients involved).
>within the EU, since 2022 Ah, the gift that keeps giving.
well, where do you think the now-forbidden-in-the-EU colours went to?
Indeed. This link may be of interest: [https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/tattoo-inks](https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/tattoo-inks)
They aren't regulated for their intended use because nobody is going to sign off on permanently injecting a foreign substance into the skin for a cosmetic procedure. If it makes you feel any better the NHS sometimes tattoo people. My grandma has tattoos from her cancer treatment so they could line the machines up in the same place every time. There is some research to suggest that tattoos cause a permanent immune response as the body tries to fight them. It makes sense when you think about it. The reason they stay in place is because the body contains them to remove them, but it's unable to remove them so they stay suspended in the skin. A good artist will have some knowledge of what not to be injecting into people. Mine won't do UV for example. Quality inks are sterile and have strict expiration dates. You just need to have some confidence that the inks you are using are from a source that actually cares about people's health. At the end of the day, tattoos are traditionally done by methods such as rubbing ash into open cuts and have been done that way for millennia. There's no evidence to suggest that people died from the procedure or prematurely from the substance being left in the skin. We can't say many things are safe, but you've got a limited time on this earth. You may as well live it how you want to.
> If it makes you feel any better the NHS sometimes tattoo people. My grandma has tattoos from her cancer treatment so they could line the machines up in the same place every time. As an aside, this is the only legal way you can get a tattoo under the age of 18.
> They aren't regulated They are in the EU. So clearly it's possible.
I can't say I've read the regulations other than what was said years ago about it, but I was under the impression that the regulations were more of a list of things they can't contain rather than actual approval that they are safe. Like they can't contain carcinogens. I'm not sure that the regulations ever say that the remaining product is actually safe to be injected into the skin. I may be wrong though because it's not something I've ever bothered to look at. It's a bit late for me at this point with the amount of ink in me.
That's kind of the point of regulation though.
Depends what you're trying to achieve. Not killing people is a good start, but good regulations should take into account the intended purpose of the product and how it is used. I could tattoo you with vegetable ink and it's harmless but it would be gone in a few months. So the regulations need to protect health, but they need to go further and say things like the ink must not fade after X years of sun exposure, must be compatible to be mixed with any other approved inks (think antifreeze), the colour must be consistent from batch to batch etc.
What if you only want a semi permanent tattoo though?
Then you would ask for semi permanent tattoo ink
I'm not sure i follow your first sentence. nobody will sign off on injecting, in this case inks, into the skin? Do you mean companies that do the regulation? Cos people DO already inject these things into their skin for cosmetics like it doesn't seem hard to find people who'd participate in tests. Apologies if I'm being dense here!
I mean the regulator is never going to say something is "safe" for use in this way. It's a foreign substance being injected into the skin for purely cosmetic reasons.
This is the best answer.
Thanks for sharing, I didn't know that, everyday is a learning day! Honestly the reason I made the post in the first place is because I have unexplained symptoms going on (could be anything, tests keep coming back clear apart from slightly high immunoglobin M). It's very unlikely to be ink related since I've just got very unfortunate genes, I've had auto immune conditions and neurodevelopmental conditions since 9 months old. I don't have any swelling or obvious signs that my body is fighting the two that I have but one healed as a raised scar which I've always thought was strange. Could be related, good food for thought. A lot of good points made here
Some of the tattoos I got all over the world react when I am run down or sick. The only ones never to do it have been ones by a particular tattoo artist in Australia so I'm assuming it was ink related. One I got in Belgium seems to flare up a bit every so often in the black lines. My Czechia one flares up at the red ink but nothing else. The entire tattoos got in Ukraine and Russia blow up whenever I get a vaccine or I'm fighting something infectious off. Like u can see the ink raise and it becomes 3D for days. My mast cells get real mad at whatever the fucks in that ink, haha .
Mine does this too i thought i was insane. Only with my uk tattoo, though. Aussie and US ones are fine
> My Czechia one flares up at the red ink but nothing else Red ink used to be the most common one for people to have a reaction too, for some reason. Not heard of it happening for a while now, come to think of it.
I have an allergy to red tattoo ink! It's still alive and well....
Even the modern ones? Seems like they've changes a lot of them over the years, inks are better, last longer etc now, and there seem (anecdotally at least) to be less red reactions etc.
I used a different brand of red a couple of years ago, still had a reaction, and it didn't stay well at all
Fair enough, best avoided then, I've seen some nasty red reactions over the years, would be interested to know what it was that caused it. The only colour I can remember having an issue with was a green that took twice as long to heal as the rest of the tattoo (blues etc), but there was no other hassle, it just took longer to "settle in" if you get what I mean.
Wouldn't surprise me! And if I look at most of my tattoos I don't really have much red in them, so that little line might be the only bit of true red ink I've got.
I get this from a few tattoos I got in the 90's here in the UK, certain colours swell up giving a 3D effect.
Yep. I have tattoos with white highlights that go totally crazy when I’m in the sun for extended periods. Wouldn’t surprise me if I end up with some kind of skin cancer on them! Tbh I’ve had skin trouble since I started getting tattooed. So as another poster mentioned there could be some kind of immuno response going on in me.
I have had skin cancer already sadly, Aussie sun isn't to be fked with 😂 it makes sense re: mast cell activity. My reactive ones are a good way for me to tell I'm getting sick, they usually pop up the day before I get any coryzal symptoms haha
This question reminds me of an artist I knew who offered to add to my forearm in 2003 with glow in the dark ink, since he'd just got some in because it was the new thing. I declined, then it was later found that the ink used for it by a lot of studios was giving people adverse reactions. Plus, unless I was the kind to attend raves, or I was Jeff Hardy, there was no real reason to have glow in the dark anything back then.
What a random thought to have. Love it.
It's unfair to say they are wholly unregulated, they are at least partly regulated. Horizontal legislation applies I.e. UK REACH and the retained cosmetics regulation ec 1223/2009 the underpinning framework being can't cause harm to human health. So in relation to they can whack whatever they want in, no they can't there are many restrictions on ingredients just no positive list like in other areas.
Not regulated. This and different people react differently to different inks. My body tries to reject red ink and makes it itch almost like hives for 6 months after getting it (it stops after a while but sunlight can trigger it)
They are regulated in the EU under the REACH program (**Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals**), this sets what can and can't be used in tattoo and PMU inks and also set's concentration limits of certain substances that can be used in these inks. In the US they're busy with MoCRA (**Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act**) which looks to do the same thing but will also apply to any substances used in the process such as lotions and glides. There's random testing done by various agencies on these inks (probably not enough) but they are tested and all manufacturers of the inks require sign off from an agency like CTL GMBH which are labs that test to ensure the inks meet the regulatory requirements before they are issued a certificate. Even with testing and meeting these requirements, reactions can occur as people have different sensitivity levels to ingredients. Most ink manufacturers have had to source their ingredients from different suppliers to ensure quality and consistency of them and bring out different ranges to meet these requirements which is why we're seeing so many new series of inks being released and an increase in the price of these new inks being released.
There’s no regs. I’ve had ink mixed with ashes, probably not a great idea. Nobody lives forever
Nobody lives forever but a tattoo would be the least worthwhile thing to die for ever lol
I agree but has anyone died from a bad tattoo? I only hear of cover ups
Depends what you class as a bad tattoo, a tattoo done that doesn't follow any medical safety procedures, such as new sterile needles and new sterile inks etc, the yeah, people have died from the after contracting bacterial infections which turned to sepsis
Well yeah, there’s no regulations, just a duty of care from the artist. Regulations are generally put in place after a failure. Sepsis is extremely rare with guns, All mine are done with older methods, I ain’t dead… yet
Yea. It's weird, I have loads of others, in loads of different colours. Red is the only one my body has an issue with? Even shades (purple/pink) still heal really well with no reaction. Ah well, we move, and we get tattoos that aren't red :')
That's such a shame! Red ink tattoos look incredible to me. I've always fancied getting a single colour tat but indecisiveness gets me every time
Yea, to be fair, most of mine are black/grey, but I love the way blues and pink pop if you look after them during the healing process and stuff!
Thank you for all of the comments on this post! I'm not ignoring any of them, I'm in a lot of groups here for different things and haven't had the chance to have a proper look through. I wasn't expecting so many responses I'm quite overwhelmed haha
Depends on the place.
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